NASHVILLE, Tn. (April 2, 2025) — Last Wednesday several Kentucky-born musicians gathered in Music City to raise money and awareness for flood recovery after rising waters took over a dozen lives in January and February.
The show at The Basement — a venue owned by Owensboro, Ky. native Mike Grimes — was organized by Sandy Hook born, Nashville based singer Leah Blevins. Performers included Abby Hamilton, Brit Taylor, Candi Jenkins, Luke Trimble, Chelsea Nolan, Kristofer Lee Bentley and Lucy Becker.
Blevins — who made her Grand Ole Opry debut last November and is currently in the process of recording an album with Easy Eye Sound — also added a rendition of her song “First Time Feeling” to the mix at the first venue she played in town over 12 years ago, but wanted to put most of the night’s attention on flood victims and the other performers rather than herself.
“I’m a Kentucky kid to my core, and it’s always going to drive me to use my platform to keep the connection of fellow Kentucky artists and musicians united,” says Blevins. “I’ve been so fortunate in my 14 years in town, so it’s important for me to put the spotlight on artists that may not know how to go about playing their music in Nashville.”
Another Kentuckian and longtime Nashvillian who took center stage during the benefit was Hindman’s Brit Taylor, who gave fans a taste of familiar favorites like “Kentucky Blue,” “Rich Little Girls” and “Saint Anthony” combined with a preview of what’s the come in the months ahead with “Land Of The Forgotten” and “Warning You Whiskey” during her four song excursion. Much like Blevins, Taylor still feels a strong pull toward her home state even after over a decade spent in Nashville.
“I’ve lived in Tennessee now for as long as I lived in Kentucky, but when people ask me where I’m from, no matter where I am in the world the answer is always Eastern Kentucky,” says Taylor. “I felt at home last night with so many other big hearted talented Kentuckians. It filled my soul to know that people want to give back to an area that I love so much. Leah Blevins is an angel for hosting this event.”
One of the gathering’s stand out performances came from Paintsville’s Luke Trimble. Making his Nashville debut alongside fiddler Lucy Becker, the up-and-comer channeled Childers’ esque croons on Kentucky-centric songs like “Black Gold,” “Bluegrass” and “Pike County Queen,” captivating the crowd in the process.
“I was honored to be invited down here by Leah and to support the folks back home in need,” says Trimble, who also teased a follow-up EP to January’s Headed Out The Holler later this year. “We got a little flooding and lost power for a few days, but it was nothing like what the folks in Pike County had to deal with. Fortunately my family was okay, but I’ve been thinking hard about the people out that way who weren’t as lucky.”
Other touching performances included Abby Hamilton, who much like Blevins made her Grand Ole Opry debut late last year. Between songs like “Good Thing” and “Displacer” the Jessamine County born singer went out of her way to talk about the devastation left by the recent flooding in Eastern Kentucky with a mention of her family’s stomping grounds of Virgie, which was left decimated.
Only a couple months removed from making her Basement debut during a “New Faces” night, Candi Jenkins returned to take part in Wednesday’s tribute as well, shining bright on a solo interpretation of “Fayette County,” the title track from her forthcoming debut collection of recorded songs. Chelsea Nolan, a recent guest on my radio show who’s currently recording new material in Nashville, also dropped by to sing a handful of songs including “Camel Wide Blues,” “Pray For You” and “Build A Fire.”
While the show was a joy from start to finish, there was also a sense of anxiety looming over it due to the severe storms forecast for Kentucky and much of the region in the days that followed. On on hand the coming together of music for a good cause was beautiful, but also worrisome considering the likelihood of another tragedy on the brink of playing out, which has come to be the case in the five days that have followed.
Flood Relief Gallery
Multiple people have already died in the latest wave of flooding to sweep across the state in what’s arguably the most widespread episode of it yet. From Paducah, Glasgow and Bowling Green in the west to Frankfort and Irvine to the east, countless rivers are due to crest at record highs this week, further harming a community and state that have been crippled by natural disasters in recent years.
While certainly not everything, I’ve gathered a list of resources and organizations you can donate to below. Much like the previous this year’s California wildfires or the tornados and flooding we’ve dealt with in Kentucky off and on the past several years, moments like these are a reminder of how unforgiving our world can be and that despite our differences, we’re all in this together. However, one thing it has taught me is that Kentuckians are a strong and resilient bunch and will fight back from these setbacks stronger than ever, and likely with a few new songs in hand too.
ARH Foundation Flood Relief Fund
Team Kentucky Storm Relief Fund
Western Kentucky Disaster Resources
